On-line signup server for provisioning of certificate credentials to wireless devices

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a mobile device and method for secure online sign-up and provisioning of credentials for Wi-Fi hotspots are generally described herein. In some embodiments, provisioning occurs using a service set identifier (SSID) to associate with a hotspot and retrieve a virtual LAN (VLAN) identifier. The VLAN identifier is used to complete the signup and provisioning process. In some embodiments, a hotspot may implement a primary SSID and a dependent SSID. The mobile device associates with the hotspot using the dependent SSID to perform the secure online signup and provisioning process. Once credentials are obtained using the signup and provisioning process, the device can connect to the hotspot using the primary SSID and the already provisioned credentials. The provisioned credentials may include certificates, username/password, or SIM-type credentials.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/580,839, filed on Dec. 23, 2014, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,635,555, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/728,606 filed on Dec. 27, 2012, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,307,408, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments pertainto secure online sign-up and provisioning of credentials for serviceconnectivity. Some embodiments relate to Hotspot 2.0 networks and theHotspot 2.0 evolution.

BACKGROUND

Signing up for and connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot is not a simple anduser-friendly process. Users may have to confront web pages of differenttypes, enter information and select their usernames/passwords atdifferent locations. Currently, there is no standardized mechanism thatdefines a secure online signup mechanism for Wi-Fi enabled devices andhotspots. Furthermore, when different types of credentials(username/password, certificate, subscriber-information module (SIM)type credentials, etc.) are provisioned, additional complications arise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a credential section of a subscription managementobject, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a wireless network, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments

FIG. 10 illustrates a system block diagram, according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustratespecific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practicethem. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodimentsmay be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalentsof those claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network, according to some embodiments.The network forms the operational environment for secure online signupand provisioning of credentials according to some embodiments. In FIG.1, mobile device 100 (sometimes referred to as User Equipment (UE), aStation (STA), or a wireless device) may be a Wi-Fi enabled deviceconfigured to associate with a Wi-Fi hotspot 102 and perform the variousfunctions associated with secure online signup and provisioning. Mobiledevice 100 may include a device management client (not shown) toimplement a device management protocol such as Open Mobile AllianceDevice Management (OMA-DM) protocol, a Simple Object Access ProtocolExtensible Markup Language (SOAP-XML) protocol or some other managementprotocol.

Wi-Fi hotspot 102 may be part of a Wi-Fi network and may be coupled tonetwork 106, which can be a local network or router or can be a gatewaythrough which other networks 116 such as the Internet may be accessed,or a combination of both. The Wi-Fi hotspot 102 may operate as a Wi-FiAccess Point (AP).

Wi-Fi hotspot 102 may be coupled to various network elements such as anOnline Signup (OSU) server 104, an Authentication, Authorization andAccounting (AAA) server 110, a Home Location Register (HLR) 112, and aCertificate Authority (CA) 114. In some embodiments, an OSU server 104may implement an OMA-DM protocol. In other embodiments, an OSU server104 may implement a SOAP-XML protocol or some other management protocol.In some embodiments, an OSU server 104 may act as a proxy to otherservers or devices (such as the AAA server 110, HLR 112 and CA 114).

In accordance with embodiments herein, mobile device 100 may beconfigured for online signup and provisioning of credentials for Wi-Fihotspots. As described more fully below, these may use a variety ofmanagement protocols, such as the OMA-DM, SOAP-XML, or some otherprotocol. This may allow cellular-type network service providers thatmay already be implementing one or more of these protocols in theirbackend core networks to use the same servers and installed componentsto extend that functionality for servicing Wi-Fi networks. In this way,Wi-Fi networks may operate along with the same cellular-network backendcore enabling Wi-Fi offloading from the cellular-type networks in a moreseamless and transparent manner. A cellular-type network may refer toany 2G (e.g., GSM, EDGE) or 3G (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2) or 4G (e.g., WiMAX,LTE) configured network.

In FIG. 1, Wi-Fi hotspot 102 and OSU server 104 can form part of acaptive portal 108. A captive portal can block/intercept IP packets andreroute requests to a designated location. This can provide, forexample, a “walled garden” for security purposes.

FIG. 2 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 2,hotspot 202 has a single Service Set Identifier (SSID), which can beused by devices such as mobile device 200 to associate with the hotspot.Also in FIG. 2, hotspot 202 and OSU server 204 may be part of a captiveportal (illustrated by dashed box 206).

In FIG. 2, mobile device 200 uses the single SSID of hotspot 202 toauthenticate and associate with hotspot 202 as illustrated by 212 and214. This process uses anonymous Extensible Authentication ProtocolTransport Layer Security (EAP-TLS) with server side authentication andthe 4-Way Handshake protocol as depicted. The credentials for mobiledevice 200 are verified against the home operator's HLR. As part of theinitial association process, a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)identifier is passed to mobile device 200 to be used for online sign upand credential provisioning. Different VLAN configurations can be usedfor different mobile devices with different routing policies.

After mobile device 200 has a VLAN identifier, it can use the VLANidentifier for the remainder of the online signup and provisioningprocess. Typical steps in such an online signup and provisioning processare illustrated by 216, 218, 220 222, and 224.

The process typically begins with an initial exchange that allows mobiledevice 200 to make contact with OSU server 204 to start the process.During this initial exchange 216, the OSU typically provides a UniversalResource Identifier (URI) where subscription rates and other suchinformation can be obtained. The initial exchange 216 also typicallycontains a command for mobile device 200 to launch a browser with theURI obtained from OSU server 204.

Exchange 218 illustrates the process of mobile device 200 and OSU server204 exchanging registration data as designated by the service provider.This information can form part of the credential section of asubscription management object. After this information has beendetermined, if the credentials are going to be a user name/password type(as opposed to certificate based or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)type credentials), the credentials from the trust root AAA server 208are retrieved and stored in a subscription management object and any TLSsessions are released. This can be illustrated, for example, by exchange224.

However, if after exchange 218, certificate based credentials aredesired, then a certificate enrollment process is launched. This processis illustrated in FIG. 2 by exchange 220 and exchange 222. In exchanges220 and 222, a certificate is obtained and signed (verified) by CA 210.This can be accomplished, for example, by mobile device 200 using anInternet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request For Comment 5967 (RFC5967) style Public Key Cryptography Standard #10 (PKCS #10) request. Asindicated by this exchange, OSU server 204 can act as a proxy whenhaving a certificate verified by CA 210. After the certificate has beensigned by CA 210, OSU server 204 can respond with an RFC 5967 style PKCS#7 response.

When certificate based credentials are desired, the final exchange isslightly different than previously described in conjunction withexchange 224. When certificate based credentials are desired, afterexchange 220 and exchange 222, a subscription management objectidentifying the credential created by exchange 220 and 222 is retrievedfrom OSU server 204. Finally, any TLS sessions are released.

Once mobile device 200 has the subscription management object, itdissociates from hotspot 202 as illustrated by 226. Finally, mobiledevice 200 associates with hotspot 202 using its SSID and thecredentials identified in the subscription management object, asindicated by 228.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example credential section of a subscriptionmanagement object according to some embodiments. For simplicity, theremainder of the subscription management object is not shown, but thesubscription management object can be a PerProviderSubscriptionManagement Object according to the Hotspot 2.0 specification andevolving Hotspot 2.0 specification. In the following description, nodeswithin the illustrated tree will be referred to as nodes, elements,fields, and/or parameters. All are intended to convey the same meaningand no differences are intended.

The credential section 300 contains creation date 302, which representsthe date on which the credential was either created or last updated.Expiration date 304, if present, represents the date the credentialsexpire. Realm 330 specifies the realm associated with the credential. Amobile device determines if it should be able to successfullyauthenticate to a hotspot by comparing the realms returned in the AccessNetwork Query Protocol (ANQP) Network Access Identifier (NAI) Realmelement during the initial network discovery phase with this realm. IEEE802.11u capable mobile devices will query IEEE 802.11u capable hotspotsfor additional information using ANQP. This can include a request for anelement called the NAI Realm list. The NAI Realm list includes one ormore NAI Realms (defined according to RFC-4282) and optional EAP methodsand authentication parameters to access associated with the realm.

Credential section 300 should contain a username/password parameter 306,a digital certificate parameter 324 or a SIM parameter 332, depending onthe type of credentials stored.

Username/password parameter 306 includes a variety of parameters,including user name 308 and password 310. Machine managed parameter 312specifies whether the password is machine managed. SoftTokenApp 314specifies the application that should be used to generate the password.When this parameter is present, the password should have a null value.AbleToShare 316 indicates whether the credential is usable only on themachine which subscribed (i.e., not AbleToShare), or usable by othermachines of the user as well (i.e., AbleToShare). EAP method 318includes EAP method 320, which indicates the EAP method, and inner EAPmethod 322, which indicates the tunneled EAP method, if used.

Digital certificate parameter 324 includes digital certificate type 326,which indicates the type of digital certificate (e.g. 802.1ar orx509v3), and certSHA256 fingerprint 328, which provides the SHA-256fingerprint of the certificate credential for the subscription. Thisparameter specifies the Issuer Distinguished Name in the certificatecredential. In conjunction with the certificate serial number, ituniquely identifies a certificate.

SIM parameter 332 includes the International Mobile device SubscriberIdentity (IMSI) number 334 and EAP method 336, which specifies the EAPmethod to be used for SIM-based authentication (e.g., EAP-SIM, EAPAuthentication and Key Agreement (EAP-AKA), etc.).

FIG. 4 illustrates a wireless network, according to some embodiments.The network forms the operational environment for secure online signupand provisioning of credentials according to some embodiments. In FIG.4, mobile device 400 (sometimes referred to as UE, or a wireless device)may be a Wi-Fi enabled device configured to associate with a Wi-Fihotspot 402 and perform the various functions associated with secureonline signup and provisioning. Mobile device 400 may include a devicemanagement client (not shown) to implement a device management protocolsuch as a OMA-DM protocol, a SOAP-XML protocol, or some other managementprotocol.

Wi-Fi hotspot 402 may be part of a Wi-Fi network and may be coupled tonetwork 408, which can be a local network or router, a gateway throughwhich other networks (not shown) such as the Internet may be accessed,or a combination of both. The Wi-Fi hotspot 402 may operate as a Wi-FiAP.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, hotspot 402 has a primary SSIDand Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) 404 and a dependent SSID andBSSID 406, sharing the same physical network. In this embodiment, theprimary SSID is used by devices that already have credentials, and thedependent SSID is used by devices that need to signup for services andprovision credentials. The primary and dependent SSIDs and BSSIDs may berelated in a defined manner or may be derived one from the other. Forexample, a phrase or other identifier can be added to the primary SSID(or BSSID) to determine the dependent SSID (or BSSID). In one particularembodiment, the dependent SSID is derived by adding the phrase“HS-Dependent” to the primary SSID. Thus, an SSID of “Starbucks” wouldyield a dependent SSID of “HS-Dependent-Starbucks.” Other phrases and/oridentifiers may also be used or some other function or mechanism can beused to derive the dependent SSID from the primary SSID.

Devices wishing to signup and provision credentials with such a hotspotneed to discover or identify the dependent SSID (and dependent BSSID) inorder to properly associate with hotspot 402 and begin the signup andprovisioning process. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Inthe simplest example, the dependent SSID is broadcast just like theprimary SSID (or included as part of a probe response). When thisoccurs, the list of displayed SSIDs can be filtered by a mobile device,such as mobile device 400, to only show the primary SSIDs and not showthe dependent SSIDs. Alternatively, if the dependent SSID is derived ina known or predictable manner from the primary SSID, then the device cancalculate or determine the dependent SSID from the primary SSID byknowing the primary SSID (which is broadcast in a beacon frame or sentin response to a probe request). Alternatively, or additionally, thedependent SSID can be included in a Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) vendor specificinformation element. In yet another example, the primary SSID andprimary BSSID can be part of a primary profile that is transmitted aspart of a beacon frame or in response to a probe request, and thedependent SSID and dependent BSSID can be part of a dependent profilethat is not transmitted. The dependent profile may be included as partof an OSU provider list. In yet another example, the multiple BSSIDelements can be included in the beacon frame or in response to a proberequest. These various examples and embodiments can be combined in avariety of ways to get still other embodiments. Depending on the exactembodiment, the primary SSID and dependent SSID may have the same ordifferent radio coverage areas.

Wi-Fi hotspot 402 may be coupled to various network elements such as anOSU server 410, an AAA server 412, a HLR 414, and a CA 416. In someembodiments, the OSU server 410 may implement an OMA-DM protocol. Inother embodiments, the OSU server 410 may implement a SOAP-XML protocolor some other management protocol. In some embodiments, the OSU server410 may act as a proxy to other servers or devices (such as the AAAserver 412, HLR 414, and CA 416).

In accordance with embodiments herein, mobile device 400 may beconfigured for online signup and provisioning of credentials for Wi-Fihotspots. As described more fully below, these may use a variety ofmanagement protocols, such as the OMA-DM, SOAP-XML, or some otherprotocol. This may allow cellular-type network service providers thatmay already be implementing one or more of these protocols in theirbackend core networks to use the same servers and installed componentsto extend that functionality for servicing Wi-Fi networks. In this way,Wi-Fi networks may operate along with the same cellular-network backendcore, thereby enabling Wi-Fi offloading from the cellular-type networksin a more seamless and transparent manner. A cellular-type network mayrefer to any 2G (e.g., GSM, EDGE), 3G (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2), or 4G (e.g.,WiMAX, LTE) configured network.

FIG. 5 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 5,hotspot 502 has a primary SSID 530 and a dependent SSID 528. Hotspot 502may also have a primary BSSID and a dependent BSSID (neither of whichare shown). These can be related or derivable in some fashion, asdescribed above. Mobile devices will use the dependent SSID 528 foronline signup and credential provisioning, and will use the primary SSID530 for normal connection to use hotspot services if the mobile devicealready has credentials (or has already provisioned credentials).

The signup and provisioning process begins at exchange 510 and exchange512 where the mobile device uses the dependent SSID to authenticate andassociate with hotspot 502. This process may use anonymous EAP-TLS withserver side authentication. The credentials for mobile device 500 areverified against the home operator's HLR through the AAA server 506 asindicated by exchange 512.

Exchange 514 allows mobile device 500 to contact OSU server 504 to startthe signup and provisioning process. During this initial exchange 514,OSU server 504 provides a URI where subscription rates and other suchinformation can be obtained. The initial exchange 514 also typicallycontains a command for mobile device 500 to launch a browser with theURI obtained from OSU server 504.

Exchange 516 illustrates the process of mobile device 500 and OSU server504 exchanging registration data as designated by the service provider.This information can form part of a subscription management object.After this information has been determined, if the credentials are goingto be a user name/password type (as opposed to certificate based or SIMtype credentials), the credentials from the trust root AAA server 506are retrieved and stored in a subscription management object, and anyTLS sessions are released. This can be illustrated, for example, byexchange 522.

However, if after exchange 516, certificate based credentials aredesired, then a certificate enrollment process is launched. This processis illustrated by exchange 518 and exchange 538. In exchange 518 and538, a certificate is obtained and signed (verified) by CA 508. This canbe accomplished, for example, by mobile device 500 using an IETF RFC5967 style PKCS #10 request. As indicated by this exchange, OSU server504 can act as a proxy when having a certificate verified by CA 508.After the certificate has been verified by CA 508, OSU server 504 canrespond with a RFC 5967 style PKCS #7 response.

When certificate based credentials are desired, the final exchange isslightly different than previously described in conjunction withexchange 522. When certificate based credentials are desired, afterexchange 518 and exchange 538, a subscription management object,identifying the credentials created by exchange 518 and 538, isretrieved from OSU server 504. Finally, any TLS sessions are released.

Once mobile device 500 has the subscription management object, itdisassociates from hotspot 502 as illustrated by 524. Finally, mobiledevice 500 associates with hotspot 502 using its primary SSID 530 andthe credentials identified in the subscription management object asindicated by 526.

FIG. 6 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In this embodiment,provisioning is for username/password type credentials using OMA-DMmanagement messages configured in accordance with the OMA-DM protocol.These messages are referred to as OMA-DM package 1 messages, OMA-DMpackage 2 messages, OMA-DM package 3 messages, and OMA-DM package 4messages. The OMA-DM protocol may be specified by the OMA-DM WorkingGroup and the Data Synchronization (DS) Working Group in an OMA-DMspecification.

Online signup and provisioning begin with mobile device 600 associating(not shown) with hotspot 602 using the dependent SSID 638. Afterassociating with hotspot 602, mobile device 600 initiates a TLSconnection to OSU server 604 in exchange 606 and performs server-sideauthentication using secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS).

In exchange 608, mobile device 600 sends a DM package 1 to OSU server604, containing the Devinfo and DevDetail management objects and aGeneric Alert indicating the reason for contacting OSU server 604. Thereason element in the Generic Alert is set to ‘SubscriptionCreation,’indicating that the user of mobile device 600 wants to establish a newsubscription with this service provider. The DevDetail management objectcontains general mobile device information, and the Devinfo managementobject contains information for the OMA-DM or SOAP-XML server.Descriptions of these management objects may be found in the OMA MobileDevice Management Tree Description, Version 1.2.

In exchange 610, OSU server 604 may use the information provided in theDevinfo and DevDetail management objects to determine the type ofcredential to provision (e.g., username/password or certificate). Inthis example, OSU server 604 will provision username/password typecredentials. OSU server 604 returns a DM package 2 to the client withthe command Execute:LaunchBrowsertoURI to launch a browser on mobiledevice 600 directed to the included URI.

Upon receiving the Execute:LaunchBrowsertoURI command, the mobile devicelaunches the browser, establishes a secure HTTPS connection to the URIreturned in exchange 610, and sends an HTTPS GET request to the OSUserver URI returned in exchange 610. This is illustrated in FIG. 6 byexchange 612. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term browser isused to refer to a browser function that is capable of renderingwebpages on a mobile device's user interface. It is not meant to imply astand-alone application. For example, an implementation could include abrowser function in a connection manager.

In exchange 614, mobile device 600 and OSU server 604 exchangeregistration data as designated by the service provider. In certaincircumstances, the user can have a subscription that was provisionedusing a different mobile device than the one currently in use, or theoriginal mobile device may have been re-imaged, or the user hadpreviously set up an account with the service provider (e.g., throughtheir website). In these situations, the subscription has beenestablished, but the mobile device is not in possession of theusername/password credential. The message flows of this step mayaccommodate this scenario and permit the user to have the mobile deviceprovisioned with the credential bound to the previously establishedsubscription.

At the end of the subscription provisioning process, OSU server 604returns the sppUserInputResponse XML instance document, as illustratedby exchange 616. If no error occurs, the sppUserInputResponse is acontainer for sppStatus and the PerProviderSubscription managementobject URI. The sppUserInputResponse XML instance document is returnedwith its HTTP content-type set to “application/vnd.wfa.cm+xml.”

If the status of the subscription creation was successful, mobile device600 sends a DM package 3 to OSU server 604 containing the status of theprevious command execution, as illustrated by 618. If there is an errorin the establishment of a new subscription, then the mobile device willreceive a DM Package 4 (not shown), which indicates the end of the OMADM transaction.

OSU server 604 sends a DM package 4 to mobile device 600, containing thePerProviderSubscription management object and the command ADD,specifying the location of the PerProviderSubscription management objectto be added to the OMA-DM management tree on mobile device 600, asillustrated in exchange 620. In exchange 622, mobile device 600 sends aDM Package 3 indicating the status of the previous operation. Inresponse, OSU server 604 sends a DM Package 4, which indicates the endof the OMA DM transaction, as illustrated in 624.

After the end of the OMA-DM transaction, the mobile device 600 retrievesthe AAA server trust root from the URL specified in thePerProviderSubscription management object, as illustrated in 626. Themobile device transmits the HTTPS Get request for the URL to OSU server604, which may provide HTTP Proxy service, if needed, to retrieve theAAA server certificate from the host identified in the URL (exchange628).

In exchange 630, mobile device 600 releases the TLS session that wasestablished in 606. Mobile device 600 then disassociates from the Wi-Fiaccess network, as illustrated by 632.

If the subscription was established successfully in exchange 618, themobile device 600 may associate with the new credentials using theprimary SSID 640, as illustrated in 634.

FIG. 7 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In this embodiment,provisioning is for certificate type credentials using OMA-DM managementmessages configured in accordance with the OMA-DM protocol. Thesemessages are referred to as OMA-DM package 1 messages, OMA-DM package 2messages, OMA-DM package 3 messages, and OMA-DM package 4 messages.

Online signup and provisioning begin with mobile device 700 associating(not shown) with hotspot 702 using the dependent SSID 742. Afterassociating with hotspot 702, mobile device 700 initiates a TLSconnection to OSU server 704 in exchange 708, and performs server-sideauthentication using secure HTTPS.

In exchange 710, mobile device 700 sends a DM package 1 to OSU server704, containing the Devinfo and DevDetail management objects and aGeneric Alert indicating the reason for contacting OSU server 704. Thereason element in the Generic Alert is set to ‘SubscriptionCreation,’indicating that the user of mobile device 700 wants to establish a newsubscription with this service provider. The DevDetail management objectcontains general mobile device information, and the Devinfo managementobject contains information for the OMA-DM or SOAP-XML server.Descriptions of these management objects may be found in the OMA MobileDevice Management Tree Description, Version 1.2.

In exchange 712, OSU server 704 may use the information provided in theDevinfo and DevDetail management objects to determine the type ofcredential to provision (e.g., username/password or certificate). Inthis example, OSU server 704 will provision certificate typecredentials. OSU server 704 returns a DM package 2 to the client withthe command Execute:LaunchBrowsertoURI to launch a browser on mobiledevice 700 directed to the included URI.

Upon receiving the Execute:LaunchBrowsertoURI command, the mobile device700 launches the browser, establishes a secure HTTPS connection to theURI returned in exchange 712, and sends an HTTPS GET request to the OSUserver URI returned in exchange 712. This is illustrated in FIG. 7 byexchange 714.

In exchange 716, mobile device 700 and OSU server 704 exchangeregistration data as designated by the service provider. In certaincircumstances, the user can have a subscription that was provisionedusing a different mobile device than the one currently in use, theoriginal mobile device may have been re-imaged, or the user hadpreviously set up an account with the service provider (e.g., throughtheir website). In these situations, the subscription has beenestablished, but the mobile device is not in possession of thecredential. The message flows of this step may accommodate this scenarioand permit the user to have the mobile device provisioned with thecredential bound to the previously established subscription.

In exchange 718, OSU server 704 returns the status of the subscriptioncreation process. If the status of the subscription creation process issuccessful, mobile device 700 sends a DM Package 3 with the status ofthe executed command as successful, as illustrated by exchange 720. If,in exchange 718, the server indicated an error, then mobile device 700will return an error to the server in exchange 720.

In exchange 722, OSU server 704 sends a DM package 4 to mobile device700 with the command Execute:CertificateEnrollToURI. This DM packageincludes the getCertificate XML instance document in the data field.Mobile device 700 performs certificate enrollment in 724 and 726. TheAAA server trust root is provided to the mobile device 700 during thecertificate enrollment procedure.

As illustrated in exchange 728, if the certificate enrollment executionwas successful, mobile device 700 sends a DM Package 3 to OSU server704. If there is an error in the certificate enrollment execution, thenthe mobile device goes to exchange 736.

In exchange 730, OSU server 704 sends a DM package 4 to mobile device700 containing the PerProviderSubscription management object and thecommand ADD, which specifies the location of the PerProviderSubscriptionmanagement object to be added to the OMA-DM management tree on themobile device. In exchange 732, mobile device 700 sends a DM Package 3with the status of the executed command. In exchange 734, OSU server 704sends a DM Package 4, which indicates the end of the OMA DM transactionand, as illustrated in 736, mobile device 700 releases the TLS sessionthat was established in exchange 708.

Mobile device 700 disassociates from the network, as illustrated in 738.In exchange 740, mobile device 700 can then associate with hotspot 702using the credentials obtained in exchange 724 and 726 using the primarySSID 744.

FIG. 8 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In this embodiment,provisioning is for username/password type credentials using SOAP-XMLmanagement messages.

Online signup and provisioning begins with mobile device 800 associating(not shown) with hotspot 802 using the dependent SSID 828. Afterassociating with hotspot 802, mobile device 800 initiates a TLSconnection to OSU server 804 in exchange 806 and performs server-sideauthentication using secure HTTPS.

In exchange 808, mobile device 800 transmits sppPostDevData to theserver which includes the Devinfo and DevDetail management objects. Thevalue for requestReason is set to “Subscription registration,”indicating that mobile device 800 wishes to register for credentials.OSU server 804 may use the information provided in the Devinfo andDevDetail management objects to determine the type of credential toprovision (e.g., username/password or certificate).

In exchange 810, OSU server 804 transmits the sppPostDevDataResponseSOAP method to mobile device 800. The content of the response methodinforms mobile device 800 of the next step in the online signup process.Since mobile device 800 has signaled for subscription registration, OSUserver 804 returns a command for the mobile device to launch a browserto the URI supplied in the message. If no errors occur, sppStatus is setto “OK”; an sppStatus value of “OK” also indicates that the credentialprovisioning process is not complete.

In exchange 812, mobile device 800 transmits an HTTPS GET request to theURI provided in the sppPostDevDataResponse.

In exchange 814, mobile device 800 and OSU server 804 exchangeregistration data as required by the service provider. In certaincircumstances, the user can have a subscription which was provisionedusing a different mobile device than the one currently in use, theoriginal mobile device may have been re-imaged, or the user hadpreviously setup an account with the service provider (e.g., throughtheir website). In these situations, the subscription has beenestablished, but the mobile device is not in possession of theusername/password credential. The message flows of this step mayaccommodate this scenario and permit the user to have the mobile deviceprovisioned with the credential bound to the previously establishedsubscription.

At the end of the exchange of registration data, the mobile device 800may retrieve 804 the sppUserInputResponse XML instance document from OSUserver, as illustrated by exchange 816. This XML instance document canbe a hidden document included in the webpage delivered to mobile device800 at the conclusion of entering registration data, rather than aseparate exchange as illustrated by 816. If no error occurs, thesppUserInputResponse is a container for sppStatus, the addMO command,and the PerProviderSubscription management object. ThesppUserInputResponse XML instance document may be returned having itsHTTP content-type set to “application/vnd.wfa.cm+xml.” The mobile device800's web browser may pass this XML instance document to the locallyregistered helper application for processing (e.g., the connectionmanager). The PerProviderSubscription management object contains theusername and password as well as ancillary provisioning data. Receipt ofspp Status set to “Provisioning complete” indicates to the mobile device800 that username and password provisioning is complete.

In exchange 818, mobile device 800 uses HTTPS to retrieve the AAA servertrust root from the URL specified in the PerProviderSubscriptionmanagement object. The mobile device may transmit the HTTPS Get requestfor the URL to the OSU server, which may provide HTTP Proxy service, ifneeded, to retrieve the AAA server certificate from the host identifiedin the URL. Exchange 818 is acknowledged by exchange 820 (HTTPSResponse).

In 822, mobile device 800 releases the TLS session it established inexchange 806. Mobile device 800 can dissociate from hotspot 802 asillustrated by 824 and then associate to hotspot 802 using the newlyestablished credentials and the primary SSID 830 as illustrated by 826.

FIG. 9 illustrates an online signup and credential provisioningmechanism, according to some embodiments. In this embodiment,provisioning is for credential type credentials using SOAP-XMLmanagement messages.

Online signup and provisioning begin with mobile device 900 associating(not shown) with hotspot 902 using the dependent SSID 934. Afterassociating with hotspot 902, mobile device 900 initiates a TLSconnection to OSU server 904 in exchange 908 and performs server-sideauthentication using secure HTTPS.

In exchange 910, mobile device 900 transmits sppPostDevData to theserver, which includes the Devinfo and DevDetail management objects. Thevalue for requestReason is set to “Subscription registration” indicatingthat mobile device 900 wishes to register for credentials. OSU server904 may use the information provided in the Devinfo and DevDetailmanagement objects to determine the type of credential to provision(e.g., username/password or certificate).

In exchange 912, OSU server 904 transmits the sppPostDevDataResponseSOAP method to mobile device 900. The content of the response methodinforms mobile device 900 of the next step in the online signup process.Since mobile device 900 has signaled for subscription registration, OSUserver 904 returns a command for the mobile device to launch a browserto the URI supplied in the message. If no errors occur, sppStatus is setto “OK”; an sppStatus value of “OK” also indicates that the credentialprovisioning process is not complete.

In exchange 914, mobile device 900 transmits an HTTPS GET request to theURI provided in the sppPostDevDataResponse.

In exchange 916, mobile device 900 and OSU server 904 exchangeregistration data as designated by the service provider. In certaincircumstances, the user can have a subscription which was provisionedusing a different mobile device than the one currently in use, theoriginal mobile device may have been re-imaged. or the user hadpreviously setup an account with the service provider (e.g., throughtheir website). In these situations, the subscription has beenestablished, but the mobile device is not in possession of thecredential. The message flows of this step may accommodate this scenarioand permit the user to have the mobile device provisioned with thecredential bound to the previously established subscription.

As illustrated by exchange 918, at the end of the exchange ofregistration data, mobile device 900 may retrieve from OSU server 904the sppUserInputResponse XML instance document. This XML instancedocument can be a hidden document included in the webpage delivered tothe mobile device at the conclusion of entering registration data ratherthan returned as part of exchange 918.

If no error occurred, the sppUserInputResponse is a container forsppStatus and the getCertificate exec command. The sppUserInputResponseXML instance document may be returned having its HTTP content-type setto “application/vnd.wfa.cm+xml.” The web browser may pass this XMLinstance document to the locally registered helper application forprocessing (e.g., the connection manager). The XML instance documentcontains the URI of the certificate enrollment server as well as othermetadata needed for enrollment.

In exchanges 920 and 922, mobile device 900 performs certificateenrollment. The certificate enrollment process should take a shortperiod of time under typical conditions. Typical conditions are definedto mean that the Wi-Fi hotspot and service provider core networks arenot congested, and OSU server 904 and CA 906 are not overloaded. At theend of a successful procedure, mobile device 900 has been provisionedwith a certificate that the service provider may use to authenticatemobile device 900. When unsuccessful, mobile device 900 may be notifiedof certificate enrollment. If the certificate response takes longer thanexpected, then mobile device 900 may time out and declare thatcertificate enrollment failed. If mobile device 900 receives a “Pending”response from OSU server 904, mobile device 900 may continue to retrythe certificate request, up to a given number of retries. If OSU server904 has not responded following these retries, mobile device 900 maytime out.

Note that the AAA server trust root is provided to mobile device 900during the certificate enrollment procedure. Validation of the AAAserver certification is needed for those EAP methods which employ aserver certificate.

In exchange 924, mobile device 900 transmits the sppPostDevData SOAPmethod to OSU server 904, which includes the OMA-DM Devinfo andDevDetail management objects. Mobile device 900 may set the value forrequestReason to “Certificate enrollment completed” if certificateenrollment succeeded or “Certificate enrollment failed” if certificateenrollment failed.

In exchange 926, if certificate enrollment succeeded, OSU server 904transmits the sppPostDevDataResponse SOAP method to mobile device 900that includes the addMO command and the PerProviderSubscriptionmanagement object. The PerProviderSubscription management objectcontains certificate identifiers binding the provisioned certificate tothe subscription as well as ancillary provisioning data. In thesppPostDevDataResponse SOAP method, the sppStatus is set to“Provisioning complete” to indicate that the subscription andcertificate provisioning process has been completed.

If certificate enrollment failed, OSU server 904 may respond with one ofthe following. OSU server 904 may switch to provisioning amachine-managed username/password credential. In this case, thesppPostDevDataResponse SOAP method returned in this exchange may containan addMO command and PerProviderSubscription management objectcontaining the provisioned, machine-managed username/passwordcredential. The spp Status may be set to “provisioning complete.”

Alternatively, OSU server 904 may switch to provisioning a user-selectedusername/password credential. In this case, the sppPostDevDataResponseSOAP method returned in this step may contain an exec command to launcha browser to the provided URI. The sppStatus is set to “OK.” The messageflow may continue as described in FIG. 8, exchange 814.

In yet another example, OSU server 904 may abort the credentialprovisioning process. In this case, the sppPostDevDataResponse SOAPmethod returned in this step can include an sppStatus set to “Erroroccurred,” and the sppError element including an errorCode set to“Credentials cannot be provisioned at this time” may be returned.

In exchange 928, the TLS session established in exchange 908 isreleased. Mobile device 900 can then disassociate from hotspot 902(illustrated in exchange 930) and associate with hotspot 902 using thenewly established credentials and primary SSID 936, as illustrated in932.

FIG. 10 illustrates a system block diagram, according to someembodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile device1000. Device 1000 may include processor 1004, memory 1006, transceiver1008 (including at least one antenna 1010), instructions 1012, 1014, andpossibly other components (not shown). While similar from a blockdiagram standpoint, it will be apparent to those of skill in the artthat the configuration and details of operation of different devices maybe similar, or substantially different, depending on the exact deviceand role.

The processor 1004 comprises one or more central processing units(CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerated processing units(APUs), or various combinations thereof. The processor 1004 providesprocessing and control functionalities for device 1000.

Memory 1006 comprises one or more memory units configured to storeinstructions and data for device 1000. Transceiver 1008 comprises one ormore transceivers including, for an appropriate station or responder, amultiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna to support MIMOcommunications. Transceiver 1008 receives transmissions and transmitstransmissions, among other things, from and to other devices in one ormore networks.

The instructions 1012, 1014 comprise one or more sets of instructions orsoftware executed on a computing device (or machine) to cause suchcomputing device (or machine) to perform any of the methodologiesdiscussed herein. The instructions 1012, 1014 (also referred to ascomputer- or machine-executable instructions) may reside, completely orat least partially, within processor 1004 and/or the memory 1006 duringexecution thereof by device 1000. While instructions 1012 and 1014 areillustrated as separate, they can be part of the same whole. Theprocessor 1004 and memory 1006 also comprise machine-readable media.

In FIG. 10, processing and control functionalities are illustrated asbeing provided by processor 1004 along with associated instructions1012, 1014. However, these are only examples of processing circuitrythat comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassedwithin a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) thatis temporarily configured by software or firmware to perform certainoperations. In various embodiments, processing circuitry may comprisededicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g.,within a special-purpose processor, application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or array) to perform certain operations. It will beappreciated that a decision to implement a processing circuitrymechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by, for example, cost, time, energy-usage, package size, or otherconsiderations.

Accordingly, the term “processing circuitry” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

The term “computer readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and thelike should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g.,a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The termsshall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure. The term “computer readablemedium,” “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to includeboth “computer storage medium,” “machine storage medium” and the like(tangible sources including, solid-state memories, optical and magneticmedia, or other tangible devices and carriers but excluding signals perse, carrier waves and other intangible sources) and “computercommunication medium,” “machine communication medium” and the like(intangible sources including, signals per se, carrier wave signals andthe like).

It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above descriptiondescribes some embodiments with reference to different functional unitsor processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitabledistribution of functionality between different functional units,processors, or domains may be used without detracting from embodimentsherein. For example, functionality illustrated to be performed byseparate processors or controllers may be performed by the sameprocessor or controller. Hence, references to specific functional unitsare only to be seen as references to suitable means for providing thedescribed functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical orphysical structure or organization.

Although the present disclosure has been described in connection withsome embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific formset forth herein. One skilled in the art would recognize that variousfeatures of the described embodiments may be combined. Moreover, it willbe appreciated that various modifications and alterations may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumthat stores instructions for execution by one or more processors toperform operations for operating an online signup (OSU) server in awireless network, the operations to configure the OSU to: receive arequest from a device in the wireless network to initiate an ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS) connection;perform a certificate enrollment on behalf of the device to enroll acredential; and provide, subsequent to the certificate enrollment, adevice management (DM) package 4 message including a management objectthat includes subscription parameters, wherein the subscriptionparameters include a parameter to indicate the date on which thecredential was created or last updated, and a parameter to indicate arealm associated with the credential.
 2. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the subscriptionparameters include the date that the credential expires.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim wherein thesubscription parameters include a digital certificate type for thecredential, and wherein the digital certificate type includes a valueselected from a list including “802.1ar” and “x509v3”.
 4. An apparatusincluding one or more processors, the one or more processors havinglogic to: receive a request from a requesting apparatus to initiate anExtensible Authentication Protocol Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS)connection; perform a certificate enrollment on behalf of the requestingapparatus to enroll a credential; and provide, subsequent to thecertificate-enrollment, a device management (DM) package 4 messageincluding a management object that includes subscription parameters,wherein the subscription parameters include a parameter to indicate thedate on which the credential was created or last updated, and aparameter to indicate a realm associated with the credential.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the subscription parameters include thedate that the credential expires.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe subscription parameters include a digital certificate type for thecredential, and wherein the digital certificate type includes a valueselected from a list including “802.1ar” and “x509v3”.
 7. The apparatusof claim 5, wherein the apparatus further includes: a memory.
 8. Amethod performed by an online signup (OSU) server in a wirelesscommunication network, the method comprising: receiving a request from adevice in the wireless communication network to initiate an ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS) connection;performing a certificate enrollment with the device to enroll acredential; and providing, subsequent to the certificate-enrollment, adevice management (DM) package 4 message including a management objectthat includes subscription parameters, wherein the subscriptionparameters include a parameter to indicate the date on which thecredential was created or last updated, and a parameter to indicate arealm associated with the credential.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinthe subscription parameters include the date that the credentialexpires.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the subscription parametersinclude a digital certificate type for the credential, and wherein thedigital certificate type includes a value selected from a list including“802.1ar” and “x509v3”.